I lived in the UP for 20 years. The deer hunting is worse than terrible and rifle season is over ran with people. You also have to understand that one early november snow storm can push the deer 50 miles away and you wont see a single thing during rifle season.
I find that last part hard to believe.
This is true.The counties next to Lake Superior have zero deer during the deep winter. They all migrate south.
You can get a blizzard in November and they will migrate south within a day or two. Shiras.
You have to understand how deen the snow gets in the snow belts.
Actually The deer south of Porcupine Mountain migrate to the shores of Lake Superior.
Its all right to be white!! Stupidity left unattended will run rampant Don't argue with stupid people, They will drag you down to their level and then win by experience
My place is 2 miles from the Licking and 10 miles from the Ohio River.
Anywhere where there is yellow, orange, or red is crawling with deer. Along the northern boundary, The Ohio River, is green. However, it's good too. It just doesn't have as many hunters.
Where I am, Bracken County, the farmers all took the tobacco buyout 25 years ago and either stopped farming or switched to cattle or goats or sheep. As a result, there is a lot of fallow acreage, and the deer love it. The predominate forest is what's called "oak/hickory savana" which is just what it says: oaks and hickory with grass growing underneath. Besides that and open pastures I also have a lot of cedar thickets.
I've hunted the UP for 52 years started in the west near Amasa filled my tags there every year even the years you could shoot 2 with a bow and 2 with a gun even anterless tags when they had them....it was a true wilderness area need a 4x4 had to drive threw 2 rivers and winch up a hill to get out of the 2nd one....it was rare to hear a gun shot....usually by the seasons second week snow is getting deep and deer are moving south to the yards seeing 10-30 deer a day migrating very few bucks are more than a 6 points the big boys move at the very end when the snow is getting deep....a couple years it took 5-6 hours to go the 18 miles to a main road..... Past 14 years I have a house (camp) near Strongs (bears capital of Michigan) wife and I usually fill are tags with basket rack 7-8 points weighing 150-180 lbs dressed....hunting depends on snow because the property is a winter deer yard go 5 miles north once we get 12"+ of snow you will not see a deer track.... This has been the most unusual season no snow....we get a couple inches and melts the next day....muzzleloader starts Friday for 10 days always need a snowmobile to get around not this years so far.... I have sat at the north boundary on the river and seen up to 100 deer crossing and heading south migrating....
did anyone say that's it a wee bit chilly up there this time of year?
. . . oh, and that's the other thing, Northern KY has fairly moderate temps, the rifle hunt starts in mid-November, and this year I know we didn't have to hunt below freezing the entire season.
The "too many wolves" is usually used by people that can't hunt. What are the wolves there to eat?
deer..they kill 'em, not sure how much they eat
a few bad winters and the wolves, and the regs get tightened down pretty much, and this during a great decline in the number of tags sold over the last 10 years.
I live in Michigan's lower peninsula, less than 10 miles from the bridge that separates the lower peninsula from the upper, and while I really enjoy the UP, the deer hunting has taken a giant shhitt in recent years. Too many woofs, from what I hear.
Not sure what the deer hunting in Eastern KY is like, but the UP wouldn't be very high on my list if successful hunting is a priority.
Me and this guy are apparently neighbors as i live 5 miles from the bridge. Most of my family is from the N western UP and oddly enough I have family in eastern Ky as well. Bloody Breathett to be exact and here is my 2c.
The hunting is better in KY BUT...the terrain is tough and there are poisonous serpents to contend with in warm years. You also are dealing with a culture of people who don't like to [bleep] with and don't like outsiders so be aware where you wander if you catch my drift.
The UP is absolutely beautiful...imho Northern Michigan as a whole is the most beautiful area in the lower 48. The hunting pressure is very very low and you have access to trophy black bear as well every couple years (i draw 1st hunt generally every 3 years in unit 009). On to the deer hunting. We generally get some decent bucks at camp every year BUT...the UP is NOT trophy deer country. There are a ton of wolves and they have taken their toll but to be perfectly honest it wasn't great before the wolves showed up. There is just not much food for the deer and you get over 200 inches of snow to boot so a big snow year lowers numbers big time. Make no mistake though...there are decent bucks.
If I were to sum it up...if you want the true camp wilderness experience with serious life threatening weather and a true awesome experience go to the UP. If you want bigger deer and warm weather go to the bluegrass state.
One more important factor. Women here in N. Michigan are some of the ugliest in the nation. KY is the best of the best in this regard IMHO.
If you like to bed fat women...N Michigan is for you. They are always in heat it seems
Quak, I live in Northern Emmet County. Levering/ Carp Lake area. How about you?
The "too many wolves" is usually used by people that can't hunt. What are the wolves there to eat?
I think there is probably some truth to this statement. But in fairness, the home range of a wolf pack is a lot larger than that of a normal human hunter. If there are no deer in a particular 1000 acre portion of a wolf pack's home range it is not a big deal since they may have a range of 100,000 acres. If a human only hunts that 1000 acres, he would still be out of luck.
Overall, though, I think wolves make a dent but don't eat enough deer to ruin hunting in most places. We get a lot of coyote depredation and there are always deer that survive.
Maybe I’ll plan a trip to the UP for deer season next year. Unless there is a place to find cabin rentals, I would hunt from a wall tent. That would be a fun adventure. I’d probably end up solo, though. My hunting buddies like the comfort of a warm cabin and a short walk to a tree stand. I’m going to start researching. That would give me a taste of the area before buying. Thanks for all of the help guys.
I am seeing cabins with 40 acres in KY for under $80k. I like that price but don’t want to be shot by moonshiners or meth cookers. I’ll keep looking but plan to take the UP for a test ride next year.
So you think there are no moonshiners or meth cookers in The UP??
was looking at some land in Pendleton County this weekend. Turned down a road that went along the licking river. Counted 11 deer in a 3 mile stretch
Hayes or KY22? When SIL had alfalfa on our farm, had a couple instances where it looked like a conga line of deer working their way up the field toward our house. One evening, had 20 that I could count.
If you make back down this way, ping me. We'll grab a coffee and tailgate somewhere...
I live in the Yoop and quit hunting it around 2015. Does that tell you anything? Even then, I was only half heartedly hunting it since 2005. Not good hunting at all. Numbers have decreased substantially in the past 10 years. The goofs around here shoot every 1 1/2 year old buck they see too...even going back 20 years. Some big woods areas have less than 1 deer per square mile.
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/m0zk1a7.jpg)
